Brush fire in Nevada grows to over 10,500 acres

Aug 23 (Reuters) – A fast-moving brush fire on a hillside in Northern Nevada, just outside Reno, has grown to over 10,500 acres as of Saturday evening.

The Hawk fire grew to 10,523 acres, mapping platform Perimeter Map said. Reno Police asked residents to refer to Perimeter Map for evacuation information.

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County due to the fire.

“The Hawk Fire is a very dynamic incident for us as it’s being driven by the winds,” Richard Edwards, chief of Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue in Washoe County, said in a video posted to social media.

“The wind-driven fires move very rapidly into our residential areas, creating a lot of challenges for our firefighters to save homes and protect lives,” he added.

(Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan and Sathvi G Bhat in Bengaluru; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)